“Well, Mr. Mason. You’ve presented quite an impelling case,” said the elderly gentleman sitting across the large glass table.
The walls of Vincent James’s office were lined with framed records and shelves housing gold gilded gramophones. Sparkling symbols of his success. It was hard not to get lost in all the names of award-winning musicians I had grown up listening to. I tore my eyes from the wall, glancing at Jeremiah, who sat stoically. Mr. James drummed his fingers thoughtfully against the glossy surface. I swallowed nervously, wondering what he was thinking. I knew so much was riding on this meeting. It was hard to read the man’s hazel eyes.
Jeremiah remained quiet, letting the man come to his conclusion. His confidence was inspiring, more so than the cool poker face that held as this multi-million dollar deal hung in the balance.
I sucked in a quiet breath as I watched James hold out his hand, a silent signal that he accepted the offer. Jeremiah took the outstretched hand and firmly shook it.
“You won’t regret this, Mr. James,” said Jeremiah, not even a hint of excitement reaching his voice.
“I’ll hold you to that, Mr. Mason,” said Mr. James with a wink before turning to me. “It was nice to meet you, Ms. Lane.”
I gave him a warm smile before standing alongside Jeremiah.
“I’ll have my office draw up the papers by the end of the week for your attorney to look over,” he said, smoothing out the gray lapels of his suit. “It’s been a pleasure, Mr. James.”
We were escorted out of his office before walking silently to the elevators. I felt a triumphant dance bouncing inside me, but Jeremiah wasn’t showing his cards yet. It wasn’t until the elevator doors closed and we were in the privacy of each other’s company that a hint of a smile spread across his lips. My eyes lingered on his mouth for a moment.
“Congratulations, Mr. Mason.” I nudged him gently, willing him to celebrate just a little.
He chuckled to himself, a small sign he was indulging in his triumph.
Out on the sidewalk, the Texas humidity closed around us as we waited for our town car to pull up. It was less than a minute before the sleek, black luxury car eased to a stop by the curb. Jeremiah didn’t wait for the driver to come around before reaching past me and opening the door. He gestured for me to get inside.
I slid past him into the cool air conditioning, him following close behind. The car slowly pulled into the city traffic. Jeremiah looked out the window thoughtfully. I wondered what he was thinking about. Wondered why he wasn’t celebrating more. Maybe this was just another day for a billionaire CEO.
As if feeling my eyes on him, he turned to face me and asked, “What happened last night?”
I jerked my head back slightly. “What do you mean?” I asked confused.
“Did anything happen…” he pointed between me and him.
I blinked a few times.
He didn’t remember?
“Nothing happened.”
He didn’t look convinced.
“You went to bed.” I assured him.
He gave me a solemn nod before looking back out the window.
“Well, that’s a shame,” he said.
I felt heat rushing through my veins as my body agreed with him. This man was going to completely unravel me until there was nothing left to hold me together.
We rode in silence to the hotel. My mind swarmed with thoughts of what could have been last night. A silent scream of yearning sounded through me, knowing we only had one more night here together.
The town car pulled up to the grand entrance of the hotel and came to a stop. As the driver rounded the car to open the door, Jeremiah turned to me and said, “You can have the car for the rest of the day.”
I felt wounded by the lack of “we” in that sentence. I looked at him, trying to fight the hurt that threatened to show on my face. The car door opened, filling the space with early afternoon light as Jeremiah slid out. I sat in the backseat and watched him step out onto the sidewalk, silently begging him to come back inside.
He turned and rested his arm on the top of the car. “Our flight is at 10 a.m. tomorrow. You can do as you please until then.”
“O-okay,” I said hesitantly. “I guess I’ll just go explore. Maybe get a little shopping in.”
He gave me a nod before patting the top of the car and turning toward the hotel entrance. The sudden absence of him swarmed over me, causing my heart to swell in my chest.
